Columbus REALTORS® Foundation commits $300,000 to the South Side Renaissance

As leaders of responsible home ownership and affordable housing in central Ohio, the Columbus REALTORS® Foundation is proud to announce the largest grant in the organization’s history to fund the South Side Renaissance (SSR), a South Side housing development, owned by Community Development for All People (CD4AP).

“This $300,000 donation will be used to expand the affordable housing development activities of South Side Renaissance over the next three years through the acquisition and renovation of 45 vacant blighted homes and duplexes in the Southern Gateway community,” said Mic Gordon, 2017 President, Columbus REALTORS®. “These properties will then be offered as long term quality affordable rental homes.”

Additionally, a number of the homes are being used to house expectant women and families with infants in an effort to reduce infant mortality rates on the South Side.

“Today we are celebrating Columbus REALTORS making such a significant contribution to improving the South Side and our community as a whole,” said Rev. John Edgar, Executive Director of Community Development for All People.

“Columbus REALTORS® members are committed to serving and giving back to communities, so we really value that,” said Erin Synk, South Side Area Commissioner.

“Today Columbus REALTORS® joins the ranks of so many of the dedicated partners that are really stepping up to this challenge of fighting blight and ensuring that our residents have access to safe decent and affordable housing and truly lifting up the community.”

In addition to this monetary gift, we are also pleased to announce that, for the second year in a row, our annual REALTOR® Care Day will take place in the South Side. This year, we’ll focus on improving several homes in the Hungarian Village area with help from a grant from the Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund at the Columbus Foundation.

“When we all come together as the county, the city, the land banks, the nonprofits, foundations, and civic associations,” said Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady. “we can make a difference.”

The impact of this gift is enhanced through other dynamic investments by the United Way of Central Ohio, The County Land Bank, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Care Source Foundation, the Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, and the City of Columbus.

“This contribution is significant for many different reasons, those that we can see today and those that are yet to come” said Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther. “And that’s what’s so special about this partnership – the ability for us to come together and invest and support a better future for families in this neighborhood which is so important to our future as a city.”

In addition to many members and partners, the following were in attendance at today’s press conference:

Franklin County Board of Commissioners, John O’Grady, President

City of Columbus, Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor

City of Columbus, Zach M. Klein, City Council President

City of Columbus, Councilmember, Shannon G. Hardin

South Side Area Commission, Commissioner, Erin Synk

Community Development for All People, Executive Director, Rev. John Edgar

Through the generosity of our REALTOR® members and affiliates, The Columbus REALTORS® Foundation has a long history of making grants to support local organizations to help improve the lives of people throughout Central Ohio such as the Buckeye Ranch, the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, the Homeless Families Foundation and the YWCA Family Shelter.